Armenia moves closer to EU visa liberalization, interior minister says

Johannes Luchner, the Deputy Director-General at the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission, visited Armenia to present the country’s progress in the implementation of the Visa Liberalization Action Plan (VLAP).

Luchner and Armenia’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Arpine Sargsyan—who is the country’s lead negotiator on the EU VLAP—held a joint press conference on Wednesday and emphasized Armenia’s achievements.

The Minister of Internal Affairs, Arpine Sargsyan, first expressed her gratitude to the European Commission for its continuous and constructive cooperation with Armenia, emphasizing the positive assessments included in the progress report, which, according to her, are highly significant and create a strong sense of responsibility.

“It is also important that the progress report once again notes Armenia’s political commitment to ensuring the implementation of the action plan.

This process is not only about facilitating the mobility of Armenian citizens; it is about trust, dignified partnership, and establishing closer ties with the European family. I want to state that, on the one hand, this process will provide Armenian citizens with the opportunity for dignified travel; on the other hand, it will create opportunities for the Armenian authorities to ensure long-term institutional changes in Armenia.

I want to state that, thanks to our efforts, we are getting closer to visa liberalization day by day. This is a very important and responsible observation for us. We attach great importance to the fact that the progress report records accelerated progress, especially in such sensitive areas as biometric documents, the biometric system, border management, migration, and asylum issues.

This assessment, in essence, is yet another opportunity to state that Armenia is a predictable, responsible, and trustworthy partner for the European Union,” the minister noted.

Minister Sargsyan emphasized that the VLAP is not simply another process for Armenia. She described it as an important step and highlighted that the inaugural Armenia–EU Summit took place recently, during which highly important agreements were signed.

“As you recall, we had 74 benchmarks in this process, and we have received 53 recommendations from our partners, which are carefully reflected in the report. We are ready to continue implementing all recommendations with the same consistency. I am glad to say that cooperation with Europol has become closer as a result of the appointment of Armenia’s liaison officer, which will further develop our relations. We will make maximum use of all the opportunities that the appointment of the liaison officer will bring.

I would also like to mention that Armenia is now the only country in the world with which the EU is so actively engaged in a visa liberalization dialogue. I would like to reassure you that, as a result of joint work and mutual trust, today we already have the action plan and the first progress report. We will move forward consistently, duly implementing all actions envisaged in the plan within the set timeframes,” Minister Sargsyan said.

She noted that this is the most tangible component for Armenian citizens on the path of EU integration, which will directly affect people’s lives and quality of life, giving citizens of Armenia the opportunity to become more closely acquainted with Europe than ever before.

Johannes Luchner, Deputy Director-General of the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission, also stated that relations between the EU and Armenia are closer today than ever. According to him, the European Political Community Summit and the first Armenia–EU Summit are clear evidence of this.

“I want to emphasize that the European Commission, the Armenian authorities, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are taking this process very seriously and are ready to deliver high-level results. Citizens of the Republic of Armenia will soon have the opportunity to obtain biometric passports. A unified population registry will be created, and work is underway to implement a number of other reforms.

I fully understand the impatience of citizens regarding the move toward a full visa-free regime. However, we must acknowledge that significant progress has already been made,” he said.

According to Johannes Luchner, the EU is now issuing more visas and multiple-entry visas to Armenian citizens and is making joint efforts to reduce the number of visa application refusals.

“At the same time, we are working in parallel to ensure more trade and investment. Active work is also being carried out in the fields of research, education, and cultural exchange, and we view visa liberalization as only one component of the broader relationship between the European Union and Armenia,” he concluded.

Armenia received the EU’s first progress report on the visa liberalization action plan on May 5 during the first Armenia–EU Summit in Yerevan.